Here Are The Names Of The 20 AIADMK Rebel Leaders Sacked By Sasikala

O Panneerselvam's name is among them.

Acting chief minister O Panneerselvam (C) of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu gestures during a press conference at his home in Chennai on February 14, 2017.
India's Supreme Court jailed the annointed next leader of Tamil Nadu for four years for corruption on February 14, heightening the turmoil in a state still reeling from the death of its long-time matriarch. VK Sasikala was told to surrender immediately to prison authorities after judges overturned her acquittal in a long-running 'disproportionate assets' case that also involved her late mentor Jayalalithaa Jayaram. Sasikala has been involved in a bitter battle in recent weeks with the state's acting chief minister O Panneerselvam who has been trying to block her ascent. / AFP / ARUN SANKAR (Photo credit should read ARUN SANKAR/AFP/Getty Images)

It seems that AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala is not ready to give up without a fight. On a day the Supreme Court set aside the Karnataka High Court verdict acquitting her in the 19-year-old disproportionate assets case, Sasikala expelled 20 rebel leaders, including acting chief minister O Panneerselvam, Minister K Pandiarajan, and senior leader C Ponnaiyan, from the primary membership of the party, according to reports.

The apex court restored in toto the judgement and the findings of the trial court in Bengaluru which had held guilty all the accused including Sasikala's two relatives, VN Sudhakaran and Elavarasi, PTI reported. The two-judge bench comprising Justices P C Ghose and Amitava Roy directed Sasikala and the two relatives to surrender forthwith to the trial court in Bengaluru and serve the remaining part of four year jail term.

Soon after, long-time Sasikala loyalist EK Palanisami was elected the Legislature Party Leader at the Golden Resort near Chennai where MLAs loyal to Sasikala were huddled together for the last few days.